Underneath the Mistletoe
by Susilo
Summary: [RaeBB] ONESHOT Christmas holiday fic. After spending a week eluding Beast Boy and the evil plant classed mistletoe, Raven finds herself getting caught in an unlikely way.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own the Teen Titans, unfortunately. Any views or opinions expressed in this fan fiction are strictly those of the author, me. The latter statement is probably just a formality, unless I somehow work my love of all things Canadian **(GO CANADA)** into this fan fiction.

**Note:** For some reason, my mind reads this in an English accent.

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**Underneath the Mistletoe**

Winter was already in mid-swing and Christmas day was fast approaching. No one really noticed how much time in the year had passed. After all, it seemed like only yesterday that the Titans were all gathered around their table eating the ceremonial turkey that usually came standard with the holiday. Well, most of the Titans had eaten turkey that day. Beast Boy declined for obvious reasons, though he was forced to repeat himself a multitude of times much to everyone's dismay thanks to the antics of Cyborg. However, to no one's real surprise, Raven also decided to skip out on their celebratory meal.

She did this every year. She never got a plate, and often put any plate back whenever someone placed one out for them. Every year, Raven merely prepared a singular cup of tea which always seemed to last her the entire meal as she watched her friends eat in silence, though they were always anything but silent. However, only Starfire and Garfield seemed to notice her actions year after year, Starfire because she always seemed rather hurt when Raven declined on one of her carefully cooked Tameranean dishes and Beast Boy because the changeling always seemed to notice things about Raven easier than anything else though any vital information about the dark empath seemed to vanish from his mind any and every time they got into a fight.

Though, Thanksgiving seemed long since passed now that each of the Titans could count the days until Christmas on just one hand, and the brown and orange decorations strewn across the tower had gone with it. In their place, Red and green streamers along with fake snow and trees now stood tall. During their first year together, Robin spent countless hours trying to explain the difference with this fake snow and real snow, which ultimately came down to the fact that the fake snow was not edible whereas the real snow was, though Robin had to spend an equal amount of time advising Starfire against testing the edibility of the snow on the ground outside.

The common room of the tower was as always the most decorated room in all of Jump City. Starfire always seemed to make sure of that, and her decorations seemed to get more vibrant and extravagant each year. After what had seemed like ages since the Titans had formed, the Christmas season at the common room left little of the original room visible. It had gotten to the point that a journey from the couch to the kitchen area seemed like traversing the physical representation of every winter children's tale imaginable. However, this year was both the same as any previous year and terrifyingly different.

After getting a rather pleasurable explanation from Robin of exactly what her newly discovered decoration meant, Starfire had instantly added it to her arsenal. Mistletoe had penetrated the defenses of the tower, and it seemed to be the very symbol of a double edged sword. Sure, after their first make out session, one would think that their _chance_ meetings under the green plant would be few and far between. Oh how the other Titans' hopes and assumptions were wrong. More times than they could count, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and, much to her annoyance, Raven found the newly formed couple of Robin and Starfire spending most of their time underneath one of the hanging mistletoe plants completely oblivious to anything around them but the other.

It was sickening really, and even Raven agreed though Beast Boy seemed oddly silent during the trio's conversations. Many times, all three of the uncoupled Titans found themselves being forced out of a room that they had previously been occupying by the intruding couple, this action agitating Raven more than anyone else unless either Beast Boy or Cyborg were highly involved with a game of theirs. However, once again, Beast Boy was always the most silent whenever the topic came up, and it did not take a genius to figure out why, though the emerald Titan had always thought her to be one. She did not disappoint him this time.

Beast Boy was envious of the obvious love that Robin and Starfire shared and how openly they shared it. Raven figured out as much, but never mentioned a word of her findings to anyone else. In her mind, it was a private matter of Beast Boy's, and it was of no concern to anyone else. Thus, the days went by without any sign of an emotional change and without any sings of either Robin or Starfire letting up on their snogging sessions. However, a mere week ago, Beast Boy's attitude completely changed for what seemed to be the better, but for the worse for Raven it seemed.

She found out rather abruptly the day Beast Boy's attitude changed when she walked into the common room and came face to face with the green haired teen's smiling face. There was something in his eyes that was familiar to Raven, something primal. It was almost like Beast Boy was poised to attack, and for a moment Raven was scared. He advanced towards her suddenly, and… she quickly sent him out of the closest window falling towards the waters below. It was only later that Raven looked up to see a familiar plant hanging above the doorway. She retreated to her room for the remainder of that day.

The changeling's feelings for Raven had been evident to her for some time, but again, that was a personal matter for him to face on his own. The odd glances he gave her while she read were quite easily noticeable, and the fact that Cyborg's new favorite pass time was to tease Beast Boy about liking her did not help his chances of covertness any. But in the end, it was that he paid her the most attention and always chose to be around her by use of some of the most ill conceived excuses imaginable that tipped her off. Overhearing Cyborg one day only verified her suspicions.

She had always dreaded the day when Beast Boy would gain the courage to confront her on his feelings. Her powers reacted violently on emotion, and she would not risk doing anything that would cause her to experience even more emotions even if she returned Beast Boy's feelings which she was quite positive she did not. Her only hope was that the action that she now regretted with all her heart would result in the halting of any more planned attempts to catch her off guard under the mistletoe.

To her astonishment, Raven quickly realized the next day that her initial hopes had no merit to them at all. She awoke the next day to an urgent sounding knocking on her door. After getting out of bed and trying to make herself halfway decent (a habit that Starfire had somehow forced upon her), she opened her door just a crack and once again came face to face with Beast Boy's smile but she had more than an inkling of what he was after now. The changeling tried to coax her out of her room with talk of breakfast, but he did not leave like he normally did whenever this happened.

He stayed there with that stupid grin on his face waiting for her to come out entirely, and knowing exactly what he was getting at, Raven looked up while keeping as much of her face inside the shadows of her rooms. Another ominous plant hung above her door, laughing at her. Raven's gaze fall back to Beast Boy, whose smile seemed to have faltered slightly. As politely as she could manage, she declined on breakfast and closed the door.

The greater part of a week passed and Beast Boy's attempts to corner Raven grew ever more persistent until now, when no one could go anywhere in the tower without being in eyesight of the plant she now cursed with every breath. A part of her almost admired how resolute beast By had been in his ambitions (she had thrown him out of the window twice now), and another part of her felt guilty every time she turned him down. She could tell he was really hurting each time she found a way around his traps, and even a half demon could not turn a blind eye to that. Needless to say, she had been doing her best to keep her mind off of that little fact.

Right now, however, Raven was standing very still in the protection of her own room, eyeing the mistletoe Beast Boy had somehow managed to get inside of her own room with so much hate that she could have sword she saw a spark light on one of the dry leaves. In the past week, she had quickly learned that it was best to memorize the positions of all the mistletoe hanging in the tower as to make her trips to the common room for tea easier to trek. However, that strategy quickly fell apart when the positions of the annoying spouts of evil began to change on a daily and sometimes mid-daily basis. Obviously that made getting from point A to point B in the tower rather difficult, but not impossible.

The trick was realizing that beast Boy was working on a finite budget, and that his supply of mistletoe was not infinite so he could not cover every square inch of the tower in desperation. There was only a limited number of places he could plant his traps, and it was merely an issue of trying to think in a way Beast Boy would think on that day. On many days, Raven surprised herself about how well she seemed to know how Beast Boy's mind worked, but today seemed different somehow, almost as if she knew Beast Boy was running out of viable places to hide the mistletoe.

Taking a very dangerous chance, Raven slid open her door and peered outside. Sure enough, there was mistletoe hanging in the hallway and she caught sight of Robin and Starfire kissing down the hallway, but everything seemed exactly as it had been the previous day. At first, the fact that she could safely traverse the hallways again greatly appealed to Raven, but the more she stared down the Beast Boy-less hallway, the more she started to worry. Beast Boy had never failed to show up wherever she appeared in the last week. It usually only took him a few seconds, but today there was nothing. All signs pointed to the changeling giving up, but where was he now.

Carefully exiting her room, Raven evasively made her way down the hallway towards the common room thankfully in the opposite direction then Starfire and Robin. At the very least, she would get a well deserved and needed cup of tea in a peaceful environment for a change, but it was hard to deny that she was curious as to what Beast Boy was doing or how he was taking his defeat or if he had even given up at all. It would be nice to know if she no longer had to be forced to shut herself in her room at all times of the day. She would still do the same thing anyway, but it was still nice to know that she could come out in peace if she wanted to. Taking a deep breath, Raven braced herself for whatever laid beyond the common room door and allowed it to softly swish open.

Just as she had expected, Beast Boy was there but he was without the grin that Raven had come to see in her nightmares. He was not making a sound. He was not watching television. He was not playing games. He was just sitting there. Without warning, Beast Boy looked up at her, but quickly forced himself to look away, but it was too late. Raven had seen it. There was a definite look of guilt in his eyes, those eyes that at times seemed to peer into her soul. Although it hurt Raven to see him like that, she hoped that the silent split second conversation they just had served to explain her side of things because she had no intention of explaining things herself. In these types of situations, it is best if someone repairs their own fragile spirit on their own.

Quietly, Raven turned and made her way passed all of the ridiculous brightly colored decorations towards the kitchen area. It came as a shock to her when she first saw the teapot warming on the stove and the steaming cup of tea waiting for her on the table, but she knew instantly who it was from. It was his silent way of apologizing for getting carried away and caught up in the moment like he did, but it was unnecessary. She had already made a promise to herself to forgive him once she had survived passed Christmas, but it now looked like she no longer had to wait that long.

A small tug at the back of her cloak made her jolt around, but was for the first time in a week relieved to only see Beast Boy standing there, eyes glued to the floor between them. However much guilt she saw in his face at a distance was nothing compared to the amount she saw in it up close. He looked like a wreak, and again she felt guilty because she was the reason.

I.. uh," Beast Boy began hesitantly, not wanting to meet her gaze. His voice was silent and weary, as if he was afraid of Raven or at least afraid of saying or doing something stupid. "I made you your tea."

"I saw that," Raven replied awkwardly. She did not really know how to react this type of situation. Up until today, Beast Boy had been intent on forcing her into a position so he could kiss her, but everything was back to normal now. So, how come it still felt weird?

"I'm… I'm sorry about this whole week," Beast Boy continued, his voice growing more bold as the conversation grew longer. "I just-"

"It's okay," Raven interrupted. His infatuation with her was not something she willingly wanted to discuss. "I understand."

"No, you don't," the changeling spoke defiantly, determined to get what he needed to say off of his chest. "You don't know because I was too much of an idiot to just come out an tell you. I… I like you Raven. I really do, and I just saw Robin and Starfire together and happy and thought about if it were us being that happy together. I… guess that thought just drove me to try and make it happen whether you wanted it or not. I'm sorry about all that. I'll… uh… have all the mistletoe down by tomorrow except the one Star put up for her and Robin."

"Thanks," was all Raven could think of to say. What could she say at this point? It is not like there was anything people are supposed to know to just say in situations like this, but she knew she had to say something. "Why do you like _me_?" That was not exactly along the lines she was thinking of, but what is done is done.

"How can I _not_ like you, Raven?" Garfield asked in disbelief at what he had just been asked. "I mean, you're the smartest girl I know, you're very funny when you try to be, you're kind, thoughtful, caring, you put others before yourself, and that is all not to mention that you are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my entire life. Again, how could not like you, Rae?"

Raven could feel her cheeks blush, and she was more than glad that she had thrown on her cloak before leaving her room that morning. With a movement that had become mere reflex, Raven pulled her hood up and over her head to conceal her face and blush from view. Instantly, she felt something small but incredibly scratchy hit her nose and bounce off coming to a stop a few inches in front of her face. Raven had to look cross eyes to see exactly what it was, but as soon as she did, a look of horror spread across her face.

"Got ya this time," Beast Boy said softly as his face appeared clearly in front of Raven.

It was the that she noticed just how close they were standing together, and she could probably guess quite accurately as to how many inches separated their faces from each others. Before she could even think, she felt a hand at her face and another tracing the side of her face, forcing her hood to fall back to her shoulders. Beast Boy, started to come even closer, but this time, there was nothing she could do. Out of pure instinct, Raven's eye closed and her head tilted slightly as the immanent contact neared, and she braced herself for whatever her powers were going to destroy now.

Finally, after what seemed like ages, their lips met, and it was nothing like Raven had imagined it would be. Some of her books had contained scenes where the main character would end up kissing their love interest somewhere in the story. She remembered that some of those books even went into excruciating detail about what it felt like or what to expect, but now that it was actually happening, Raven found that it was nothing like anything she had read at all. The most accurate way to describe it would be to day that it is indescribable.

In their embrace, something seemed to click within Raven, something that had remained docile in her for some time now. She should have been outraged by what was happening. She should have been disgusted. She should have reacted by throwing Beast Boy back out of the window, but she did not. In fact, she was actually enjoying it. For a split second, she thought about kissing back, but before she could act, Beast Boy had ended his kiss and backed away grinning.

The changeling smiled broadly at the dumbfounded look in Raven's eyes as he turned to walk away. "That should teach you to leave your hood do-" Something had latched a hold of his arm and refused to walk any further away than he already had. With a bemused expression on his face, Beast Boy turned to see that Raven had reached out and grasped his lower arm.

She did not know why she did it, but she just knew she had to. As soon as Beast Boy had back away, it had felt like a part of her was leaving too. She could not stand it and did the first thing that came to hr mind. She clasped onto his arm and just held him there. She did not dare look at him out of fear of seeing him expect her to have a reason for doing this. There was no reason. She barely knew she was doing it. She did not even know what she was doing. She just had to do it.

Slowly and without looking at Beast Boy, Raven moved closer to him until they were just as close as they had been before Beast Boy kissed her. Without words, Raven raised her eyes from their spot on the floor to meet his, and as soon as she did, it was like there was some sort of magnetic pull between them, and neither resisted. Before either of them knew it, they were kissing again, completely forgetting everything that had happened the past day, week, or year. Neither knew who kissed who first, and neither cared. The only thing that mattered to them was each other, and for the first time in their lives, they understood just why Robin and Starfire spent so much time underneath the mistletoe.


End file.
